Homecoming week jam-packed with events, Pioneer spirit
Homecoming Week, Feb. 6-12, will be filled with exciting events, including a pair of Pioneer basketball doubleheaders. (Photo: Kelley Cox)
- January 11, 2012
Cal State East Bay is putting the finishing touches on Homecoming 2012, a week of events, contests and games celebrating Pioneer Pride and the 50th anniversary of the Pioneer Athletics Department from Feb. 6 through 12. The weeklong event, which will culminate with a basketball doubleheader against Cal Poly Pomona, also will include a Homecoming parade and dance, spirit contests, step show and pre-game tailgate all seeking to bring members of the campus community together in celebration of the university and all of its Pioneers.
CSUEB students will have the chance to win some great prizes for attending as many Homecoming Week activities and events as they can with the Homecoming Passport. For every event that students attend, they will receive a stamp on their passport, with each stamp corresponding prizes, including t-shirts, gift cards, gas cards and more. Students attending nearly every event will have the chance to win a grand prize which will be announced at the Homecoming Kickoff event on Tuesday.
Each day of the week will take on a theme and students, faculty and staff alike can join in the fun by dressing for each theme. The week will kick off with a camouflage theme on Monday, which also marks the beginning of weeklong events, including the East Bay Idol Contest, which will be held online with the top contestants singing the national anthem at the week's basketball games. The Student-Athlete Advisory Council's (SAAC) canned food drive and the Greek Olympics will also begin on Monday.
Tuesday, Feb. 7, will see the campus turn back the clock for the '80s Pioneer Pride theme day. In addition, the week of fun and games will open with Homecoming Kickoff where students can participate in games and win prizes, as well as pick up their Homecoming Passports on the Bookstore lawn from 12-2 p.m.
Pajama Day - Wednesday, Feb. 8 - will be jam-packed with action. The day will open with judging of the door- and office-decorating contest both on the Hayward and Concord campuses. Then, at noon, the best dancers on campus will compete for the title of East Bay's Best Dance Crew on the Agora Stage. Wednesday's festivities will conclude with a Pioneer Athletics Pep Rally organized by SAAC to get everyone in the spirit for the weekend's basketball, baseball and softball games. The rally is set to begin at 8 p.m. at Pioneer Gym.
Thursday marks Twin Day and welcomes back another Homecoming Week tradition at the University Union, where students will strut their stuff on the runway at the Pioneer Pride Fashion Show at noon. Later that night, check out CSUEB's Greek organizations as they compete in the "So You Think You Can Stroll?" competition at 6 p.m. in the University Union.
Friday, Feb. 10 is all about showing Pioneer Pride with its red and black theme. A day filled with "Battle of the Bay" action awaits on Friday, kicking off with the Pioneer softball team's home- and conference-opening doubleheader against San Francisco State at 1 p.m. Next, campus organizations will get their chance to show off their decorating skills and spirit at the Homecoming Parade through campus at 3:30 p.m. The Pioneer basketball teams will then take on cross-bay rival San Francisco State beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Pioneer Gym, where students wearing red can enter to win great prizes like the chance to shoot for a $250 gift card and more. Following the games, students can celebrate at the Associated Students, Inc. Homecoming Dance at 9 p.m. in the New Union.
The busiest day of Homecoming Week will come on Saturday, when the Athletics Department is set to honor and welcome back Pioneer alumni to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The day will feature a pair of athletics alumni events - a track meet at 10 a.m. and a women's basketball game at 12 p.m. In addition, the Pioneer softball team will be back in action against the Gators at 12 p.m. and the campus Greek organizations will be back with the Step Up, Step Out Yard Show at the University Theater at 2 p.m.
The activities continue in the afternoon with an alumni social from 3-5 p.m. at the ME Lounge on B Street in Downtown Hayward and a pre-game tailgate and poster-making party for students hosted by the Residence Halls Association at 4:30 p.m. at the Dining Commons to build excitement ahead of the night's basketball doubleheader. Kicking off at 5:30 p.m., the Pioneer basketball teams will take on Cal Poly Pomona at the premier event of Homecoming Week. The games will feature contests for fans, the announcement of the 2012 Homecoming Court and the introduction and recognition of Cal State East Bay's first intercollegiate athletics team, the 1961-62 Pioneer men's basketball team.
Capping the week of excitement is the Pioneer baseball team, which will host Westmont and Menlo College on Sunday, Feb. 12. The games are slated for 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at Pioneer Field.
For further information on Homecoming Week 2012, including sign-up forms for contests and events, visit or on the Web.